Profile photo for Halldor Bjarkason
4718 messages
active 5 days ago

Halldor Bjarkason

I am Icelandic and have always enjoyed travelling around my strikingly beautiful country. I have also lived in a few different parts of the world and travelled a fair amount internationally, and at some point realised that I had started to identify entirely with foreigners who visit Iceland - Icelandic nature is incredibly powerful especially when you are not used to it everyday. My approach is all about helping people get the most out of their holiday, everyone has their own reason to visit Iceland and understands the experience they want - my job is to make it work in practice and hopefully add a little bit more as well.

What places and activities do you specialize in?

"I specialise in customised holidays all over Iceland, and small group tours in the Westfjords region. We plan a lot of sightseeing road trips (self drive and private guided), multi-day northern lights hunts in the countryside, hiking trips, day tours and shore excursions."

How did you get involved in travel?

"In 2011 I moved back to my home town of Ísafjörður and started a travel agency specialised in customised Iceland holidays and Westfjords travel, and have been doing this ever since. "

Please share a unique travel experience you will never forget.

"There are too many things to see in Iceland for any one experience to stand out! It is unique enough to visit Iceland. If you want to be the most unique, visit the Westfjords :)"

Halldor is part of the following groups: Iceland Travel Agents
Top itineraries and travel advice
Road trip itineraries

Recent trip reviews for Halldor

Our trip to Iceland was truly memorable-highly recommend Kimkim and Halldor
Iceland | Aug 19 - Sep 5, 2021

Mike
Mike S.
Mt. Pleasant, SC | Reviewed on Sep 19, 2021
Our trip to Iceland was truly memorable! Halldor from Kimkim organized a trip tailored for our requests which included lots of hiking and experiencing the more remote, less crowded areas of Iceland. The trip he arranged was a perfect fit for us. We really appreciated his recommendation to head to the Westfjords and include a 3 day "glamping" trip in the Hornstrandir National Park-spectacular scenery and families of arctic foxes who are not shy and came right up to our feet to play. We also... Read more

Our trip to Iceland was truly memorable! Halldor from Kimkim organized a trip tailored for our requests which included lots of hiking and experiencing the more remote, less crowded areas of Iceland. The trip he arranged was a perfect fit for us. We really appreciated his recommendation to head to the Westfjords and include a 3 day "glamping" trip in the Hornstrandir National Park-spectacular scenery and families of arctic foxes who are not shy and came right up to our feet to play. We also really enjoyed Stefan, our guide on a one day hike in the Westfjords. He was a wealth of information and we learned so much about the culture, language and history of Iceland. We loved the 6 day Laugavegur hut to hut hike across stunning scenery. We made great friends from around the world in the huts every night. We will never forget the brilliant green of the moss against the contrast of the black lava mountains and the spectacular color palette of the scenery. We even thought the water everywhere, from every tap, was the best we had ever tasted!

In addition to Halldor accurately selecting just the right places for us and an itinerary that went smoothly, he even made last minute changes to our plans while in Iceland due to some unexpected circumstances. We would highly recommend our trip to Iceland, Kimkim and our local specialist Halldor!

Local specialist: Halldor Bjarkason
Halldor
Halldor Bjarkason
Local specialist in Isafjordur, Iceland | Replied on Sep 29, 2021

Thanks a lot for the review, and all the great photos from your trip!

Trip to Iceland
Iceland | Jul 22 - Aug 2, 2019

S
Saralu E.
Kansas City, MO | Reviewed on Aug 16, 2019
What an experience! Our family thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Iceland. No one, from the youngest to the oldest (ages 4 to 77), has had any negative comment.
We were there almost twelve days and really needed more time. Well, I suppose that will have to happen in a subsequent trip. We were pretty much seeing the southwest quadrant of the island, doing all the activities requested and then some. Halldor was an excellent tourist agent. It must have been quite a feat to pull together such...
Read more

What an experience! Our family thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Iceland. No one, from the youngest to the oldest (ages 4 to 77), has had any negative comment.
We were there almost twelve days and really needed more time. Well, I suppose that will have to happen in a subsequent trip. We were pretty much seeing the southwest quadrant of the island, doing all the activities requested and then some. Halldor was an excellent tourist agent. It must have been quite a feat to pull together such a nice trip following our (probably strange) requests that included the interests of every individual in this family. He succeeded in doing so. He even made certain that the vehicle in which we would be traveling would be booster seat compliant for the children. Kimkim, your organization has a real treasure in this local specialist!
The lodging was very nice, family-friendly, with nice dining facilities and delightful breakfasts. I was particularly impressed by the fact that most places had an area for young children to entertain themselves while still in sight of their parents.
Our guide, Mr. S, was most accommodating to the various members of our family. He was a good choice! I never heard one complaint, even from the four-year old. Mr. S came up with activities to supplement our experiences, from the requests and questions we asked. There was plenty of participation from the oldest to the youngest. If a question arose concerning our reservations at any previously-scheduled part of our trip, Mr. S got it straightened out. He directed us when, mid-trip, we needed to have our laundry done, locate a postal facility or a bank, etc.

One person had a birthday during the trip. Mr. S oversaw the request of the two children to pick berries, and he prepared a cake to celebrate using those berries. It was delicious! He also recommended museums, eateries, woolen/gift/souvenir shops, and all of the things that one likes to become acquainted with when traveling. I thought that perhaps there would be too much time allotted to rest in the afternoons, but that was definitely not the case.
Everything we did was memorable because of the planning and direction of Halldor and the suggestions of Mr. S. We chased sheep, pointed out "dead" horses, climber a crater, fed retired horses, rode horses, took a sled-on-wheels ride pulled by huskies, counted seals, relaxed in various geothermally heated pools, watched geysers, identified birds, hiked lava fields into a lava cave, saw mushroom production before eating probably the best mushroom soup any of us had ever had, ate hot dogs and more hot dogs, walked to a waterfall, straddled a rift in the tectonic plates of North America and Eurasia, visited a museum a day I think, trolls, history of this country, Vikings, and the list goes on . This is not a trip any of us will ever forget, nor do we wish to do so; therefore, Get ready Kimkim, Halldor, and Mr. S. It may take awhile, but this family will probably be back! Thank you for everything you did to make our trip memorable.

Local specialist: Halldor Bjarkason

Trip to Iceland
Iceland | Jun 23 - Jul 6, 2019

B
Barbara S.
Great Falls, VA | Reviewed on Jul 13, 2019
Herbert was fantastic. The only reason I didn’t give this a 5 star was because we initially had another specialist Herbert who was extremely difficult to get a response from. I understand he’s not with the company anymore and Halldor was awesome. We spent 14 days around Iceland and saw many out of the way things that we never would have found on our own. The accommodations were all quite nice and the day excursions were great as was the scheduling. And in fact after we were in Iceland and... Read more

Herbert was fantastic. The only reason I didn’t give this a 5 star was because we initially had another specialist Herbert who was extremely difficult to get a response from. I understand he’s not with the company anymore and Halldor was awesome. We spent 14 days around Iceland and saw many out of the way things that we never would have found on our own. The accommodations were all quite nice and the day excursions were great as was the scheduling. And in fact after we were in Iceland and decided the fimmvorduhals 2 day trek was going to be too strenuous he helped us adjust the plan. Highlights were the Silfra Iceland explore snorkeling tour. We were so glad that Halldor chose this company. There were many to choose from and I know this was the best from what we saw. The glacier hike was also great as were many of the hot springs. All told it was a great trip we couldn’t have done it without kimkim and Herbert and Halldor!

Local specialist: Halldor Bjarkason

Top 12 Family Activities in Iceland
Iceland | Jun 29 - Jul 7, 2019

Terry
Terry M.
Murfreesboro, TN | Reviewed on Jul 08, 2019

Halldoor and Kim Kim were great at creating plan for our ten day trip to Iceland. Everything was high quality, interesting and enjoyable. I would recommend their services highly.

Regarding improvement I would appreciated a little more transparency with respect to price itemization .

Local specialist: Halldor Bjarkason

Trip to Iceland
Iceland | Dec 19 - Dec 26, 2018

M
Madelaine L.
Dallas, TX | Reviewed on Dec 28, 2018

Everything planned worked out perfectly without a single glitch. Our guide and transportations all showed up and were timely and professional. I highly recommend staying at the Bubble and experience it at least for a night. It was one of the highlights of the trip. When we visited the South Coast's glacier tongue, lagoon and Diamond Beach, glacier caves and is when we truly felt we were in Iceland. Tip: Go to the glacier lagoon at sunset, order your beer or hot cocoa and watch the sun set. Beautiful. Thank you for putting together a wonderful itinerary for us. Takk!

Madelaine and family!

Local specialist: Halldor Bjarkason

Iceland - 2018
Iceland | Oct 27 - Nov 2, 2018

Armando
Armando N.
Redondo Beach, CA | Reviewed on Nov 03, 2018

We would like to thank Halldor for the last minute planning on our Iceland Vacation.

While searching for the Northern lights, he did a great job at moving us around for our best chances.
Our Itinerary also include some amazing scenic sites and recommendations.

Local specialist: Halldor Bjarkason

Iceland
Iceland | Aug 18 - Aug 25, 2018

T
Toby R.
Allston, MA | Reviewed on Aug 27, 2018

Halldor did a great job organizing our vacation. We especially liked the first 2 days north of Reykjavík (the Snaefellus area) as there were very few tourists. We liked the hotels except the one in Reykjavik. The Blue Lagoon was fun and we liked the horse back riding. Thanks for the restaurant recommendations they were very good. We enjoyed the black sand beaches and all of the water falls.

Local specialist: Halldor Bjarkason

Hiking in the Highlands: Iceland's Volcanic Trails
Iceland | Jul 28 - Aug 2, 2018

E
Eugenia L.
Mexico | Reviewed on Aug 21, 2018
Our experience in Iceland was amazing!
We loved all the activities that Halldor planed for us. The place that we liked the most was Landmannalaugar, and Halldor made us a great recommendation of hiking the blue mountain, great views!! Also it was a very beautifull and clear day.
The lodging were pretty good, we loved that they all included breakfast and were clean.
The car rental service gave us a car that wasn't exactly 4x4, it was a good car in general, just on the river crossing part on...
Read more

Our experience in Iceland was amazing!
We loved all the activities that Halldor planed for us. The place that we liked the most was Landmannalaugar, and Halldor made us a great recommendation of hiking the blue mountain, great views!! Also it was a very beautifull and clear day.
The lodging were pretty good, we loved that they all included breakfast and were clean.
The car rental service gave us a car that wasn't exactly 4x4, it was a good car in general, just on the river crossing part on our way to Thorsmork it was a bit stressfull with that car, but we manage the situation and we did it!
We are very greatfull to Halldor and the people from Kimkim that we came across, they were all very helpfull and kind, and gave us very good advices. We´re looking forward to return back soon!

Local specialist: Halldor Bjarkason

Iceland
Iceland | Jul 20 - Jul 25, 2018

Jo
Jo Z.
New Zealand | Reviewed on Aug 02, 2018

The Westfjords were recommended first by Preeti and this was a highlight of the trip. Halldor took over after the initial contact.

Our main complaint is the vehicle. We were assigned a Renault delivery truck that had been converted to carry passengers. We experienced the following problems. The seats were to close together, the van was noisy, but worst of all, the leaf spring suspension made the vehicle very uncomfortable to ride in not only on some of the rough backcountry roads, but even on the well paved roads.

Local specialist: Halldor Bjarkason

Iceland 2018
Iceland | Jun 29 - Jul 12, 2018

Debbie
Debbie W.
| Reviewed on Jul 14, 2018

We booked a 14 day ring road trip. Planned it a year in advance. Everything went smoothly for the most part, but the hiccups made it more of an adventure.I loved the West Fjords the most the scenery was beautiful and it was the only time sun was shining so that helped. When we had any issues or questions during the trip they emailed us in a timely manner. I would not hesitate to use this service again.

Local specialist: Halldor Bjarkason